The Best Revenge
by KeetahSpacecat
Summary: It's been almost a full year since little Sans and Papyrus were rescued from W. D. Gaster. Scarred from their experiences, both children will need extra care to come to terms with what happened to them. Now as their father, Grillby needs to guide them through both their recovery and life outside the laboratories. After all, they say that living well is the best form of revenge.
1. Chapter 1

It's been nearly a whole year.

Grillby could barely grasp just how fast time has flown. His days had become routine in a way, and blended together. Not that it was a bad thing at all: he just found it strange how easy it was for things to become normal again after the 'incident'.

Months before, his adoptive children suffered terribly at the hands of one of the most prominent scientists in the underground. Dr. Gaster was now dead, his dust consumed by the molten foundation of the CORE. He might be dead, but it didn't mean that he still didn't affect his victims. Nightmares and anxiety were common for his children and still would be for some time. But...life goes on, and he could honestly tell that they were happy and healing.

In a way, isn't that the best revenge? Despite everything Gaster tried to do, he failed. He was dead, and both Sans and Papyrus would grow and live. They had their whole lives ahead of them where they could experience all the love and happiness that they should have gotten at the very beginning. They both already had friends and more family than they could count in the good people of Snowdin. They could be whoever and whatever they want to be. Grillby would be sure to give them everything they could ever ask for.

Gaster would be forever remembered for his crimes and reviled for it. There was nobody to mourn him. In time, his presence would fade, and he would only exist in a textbook. In time, the scars he inflicted on both children would fade, and he would have no more presence in the world that really matters.

Sounds of scraping claws and giggling snapped Grillby from his thoughts.

"i'ma get ya!" Sans could be heard, stomping around as loud as he could. "gonna get ya!"

"AAAAAAAAAAA!" Papyrus' yelling interrupted the stomping. Grillby could hear him running as fast as he could around the living room, claws catching on the carpet.

Grillby opened the oven to take a quick peek at the item baking inside. He decided it could use five or so more minutes, and closed the door again. He moved away from the oven to the kitchen door, peeking in to see just what his kids where up to.

Indeed, it seemed they were playing some sort of chasing game. It seemed a little one-sided, but they were having fun despite it. Sans never quite got back up to speed after his injuries healed. Being blind on his right side made him more cautious in his movements, especially after bruising his face a few times running into furniture he couldn't see. He seemed to tire very quickly and napped often. Dr. Frank, their doctor, decided to give Sans a few more months to see if his energy levels would pick up again. Sans had the hardest time out of both of them. Constant night terrors and bouts of panic meant more than one sleepless night for all of them. But Grillby could see the joy and happiness on the little skeleton's face as he slowly stomped after his little brother.

Papyrus, on the other hand, seemed to recover rapidly. He still had bad dreams and instances where he would just cry for hours at a time. Sometimes he would just be completely silent and nervous, but time helped immensely with that. Unlike his brother, he wasn't physically injured in the incident, so he was free to focus on growing, and grow he did. Grillby imagined he put on at least three pounds of weight in the last few months, and that was a lot for a skeleton monster. For now, the little monster was running about in his canine form, yelling as he zipped around. It seemed like the game was that he would run between Sans' legs and around him while Sans tried to catch him in a very dramatic way.

Sans eventually 'gave up', flopping to the floor where he lay on his back. He remained sill enough that Papyrus grew curious, creeping closer to his older brother. Once he was in range, Sans grabbed up the pup in his hands and began to mercilessly tickle him.

"gotcha! haha!"

"AAAAAAA!"

Papyrus could not escape despite all his wiggling, so he resorted to yelling. Yelling, perhaps, was one of his greatest strengths, as he was perhaps the loudest toddler in the whole town.

Grillby couldn't help but start laughing when the pup finally yelled loud enough to make Sans drop him.

"owie." Sans rubbed the sides of his head, looking up when he heard the laughing. His grin spread across his face when he saw who it was. "hi dad."

"Hello Sans, what kind of game were you two playing?" Grillby would forever be warmed by the sight of Sans' smile. It was once a rare event becoming more common as time wore on.

"we were chasin'. but pap cheats." Sans rubbed the sides of his head where his ear holes were.

"Ah, how can he cheat if you never told him the rules to the game?" Grillby folded his arms with a grin.

Sans went to respond, but before he could say a word, his little brother slammed into him from behind. This time Papyrus traded paws for hands, so he could wrap himself around his older brother and cling like glue.

"GOT CHU!" He yelled proudly.

"yeah bro you did!" Sans could only mumble through the carpet. Papyrus was fast enough that he knocked Sans clean over. "good job."

Grillby clapped, which made the youngest skeleton beam with happiness.

"T'ANKS! NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus rolled off his brother and onto the floor. He had begun picking up new words here and there. Grillby was sure it wouldn't be too long before he could begin stringing together full sentences. His volume control, however, was unlikely to change.

Grillby was about to walk over to check on them when the door began to shudder from pounding knocks. Spooked, the boys immediately rushed to hide behind the couch, as they did with most loud sudden noises. But then a familiar voice began to yell from outside: "HEY! HEY NERDS! MISTER GRILLBY? HEY!"

The loud rough voice of a little girl accented the pounding, making a terrible racket. Grillby had to rush over quickly to save his door from being dented. He opened it up and narrowly dodged a fist coming at his leg as the owner prepared to knock again.

"Oh...hello, Undyne. Alphys."

Before him were the kid's two best friends. Undyne, Gnash and Frank's daughter, was bundled up in a coat and wearing a hat to cover her fins. She was the spitting image of Gnash, being a fish monster, but inherited the blue and red coloration of her other father. Being more like Gnash, this was a really rough-and-tumble kid. He was opposed to her playing with his children unsupervised at first, due to their condition. But she proved to know her own limits and could be surprisingly gentle, despite her brash nature. He figured that since one of her parents was a doctor she could recognize when someone wasn't able to handle her rough style of play. After all, she was brought along to the house with Frank several times during the boys' checkups, so she had seen what state they were in.

"Heya Mister G! Can Sans and Pap come out to play?" Undyne flashed Grillby an incredibly sharp grin.

"If...if that's okay that is!" Alphys nervously fidgeted with her claws. Well, as much as she was able too. She was bundled up with so many coats and scarves that she could scarcely move her arms. Grillby wondered whether could even get up again if she fell down: she'd be like a turtle on their back due to all the bundling.

"I will ask them." Grillby turned and opened his mouth to call for them, but the boys already were attempting to get out the door around his legs.

"hey guys!" Sans seemed happy to see his friends. Papyrus just yelled with enthusiasm as per his usual greeting.

"Coats first, then you may go out and play." Grillby caught them before they could outright run into the snow, helping both kids get into their coats and scarves. He had long since given up on giving them hats and mittens. They tended to always lose them. There must be at least ten hats and a handful of mittens scattered throughout Snowdin. The boys could scarcely stand still enough for the last of their coat buttons to be fastened. With that, their father turned them loose.

Once freed they both rushed out of the door to tackle their friends, laughing and tussling in the snow.

"Be back at four o'clock." Grillby told them. "Stay away from the river, and be sure to stay close to town." It was the same thing he always told them when they went off to play. This time, he'd let them stay out for an hour longer than usual.

"thanks dad! we will!" Sans grinned and grabbed up his brother, who was floundering around in the fresh snow.

"Come on! Let's go sledding!" Undyne had already brought a sled with her.

"yeah! i'll grab ours!" Sans was quick to grab the ropes to his own sled, putting Papyrus snugly on it. With that, all three children rushed off into the snow, Papyrus laughing from his spot on his sled all the way. Grillby watched them as they vanished around the corner, heading to the hill next to the Bunny shop. It was safe there: the store owner tended to keep an eye on the kids who went to sled. Squashing down a lingering worry, he shut the door.

It was something King Asgore told him before: "As a father, you'll always worry, even if there is nothing to worry about." Grillby trusted the girls, as he had seen them interact with the boys when they were at their worst. They'd be fine. The whole village would be there.

He wouldn't spoil their fun because of his paranoia.

Once he was sure they were gone, he headed back into the kitchen. Only a few minutes had passed, and he opened the oven door to warm heat and sweet smells. He had no need for oven mitts, so he reached in to grab the pan, setting it on the counter to cool.

It was quite a nice marble cake. He wasn't too sure if the boys would prefer vanilla or chocolate, so he decided to mix them both. He opened his cell phone and dialed in a number, holding it to his head as he started grabbing bowls.

It only took a few rings before the other end picked up with a click.

"(Hello Grillby!)"

"Hello Dogaressa. The boys are gone." He grabbed some sugar and some butter, intent on making some icing.

"(Oh! Where are they now?)"

"They went sledding with their friends. I told them to come home at four."

"(We'll have some time then. I'll send Greater to keep an eye on them.)" Barking broke out in the background, which was quickly shushed. "(We'll bring over the supplies right away.)"

"Thank you, the door is open. See you shortly."

With a click, the call ended, leaving him alone again. Soon everyone would arrive, and things could really get started.

He smiled as he worked a little faster.

Now...where did he put those candles again?

* * *

Snow crunched under boots as the kids marched on through the fresh snow. Papyrus rode on the sled, being pulled along behind them. Alphys stuck close. She wasn't a big fan of the ice and snow, but she put up with it all the same. Sans felt grateful for that. He would miss her if she couldn't visit as often as she did.

"Hey, ya know what we should do first?" Undyne was grinning as she looked back at her friends.

"yeah?" Sans was curious on what she might want to do.

"We should build totally awesome snowmonsters! Like...right down at the hill where everyone can see them!"

"But, wouldn't that get in the way of the sleds?" Alphys piped up from the back. She was dragging along the second sled.

"That's the point! We're gonna crash into them!"

"We can't do that! Sans 'n Pap are s-"

"it's fine." Sans cut Alphys off with a small smile. "really. we're fine now."

"Of COURSE they're fine!" Undyne threw up her hands, eyes shining. "They have my papa as their doctor! And he's the BEST! See?"

She balled up her fist and landed a punch on Sans' arm, before she yelped in pain. "OW!"

"come on, i'm a skeleton. you knew you'd be punchin' solid bone." Sans couldn't help but flinch at the action, but after the initial scare, he was amused. He was right, hitting solid bone couldn't feel all that great.

"Undyne!" Alphys scolded the fish monster, who was rubbing a hand that was sure to bruise. "You scared him! Don't hit them like that!"

"Nuh-uh! He's fine! He hurt me worse." Undyne snorted, "Right Sans?"

Sans just shrugged. "it wasn't my idea to punch bone. technically, you hurt yourself." To be honest, it was a little scary. But, not as scary as before. He knew Undyne wasn't going to hurt him, but sometimes the act itself spooked him. The more she roughhoused with them, the more things became...okay. Less scary. Not everything had to end in pain.

"NYEH!" Papyrus grumped from the sled. He was wondering why everything stopped. He wanted to play, not stand around. He pounded his fists on the sides of the sled to make a racket. "NYEEH!"

"You heard the lil' nerd! Let's get movin'!" Undyne shook out her hand and broke off into a run.

The kids quickly ran after their friend, chasing her through the light snow. Footprints of other monsters began to criss-cross their path, and it wasn't too long before they approached the hill. The hill itself wasn't a dramatic slope. It was gentle enough for little kids, but steep enough to still give a bit of a thrill. There were already sled tracks packed down into the snow. Several other kids were around with their parents, playing or sculpting snow. A few adults stood about or sat on benches, keeping an eye on everything going on.

It made Sans feel a little safer.

Undyne frowned. "Darn...looks like we won't be able to crash into stuff. There's too many adults around."

"Yes, what a shame that we can't do dangerous things." Alphys snarked back. Sans giggled in agreement. Undyne opened her mouth to reply, when someone made it clear he was tired of doing nothing.

"NYEH!"

Papyrus had enough with sitting, and so decided for everyone what to do. The snow was packed up enough where he could toddle around without sinking, so he rolled himself off the sled. He then broke off into a run, intending on rolling himself over the edge of the hill before Sans scooped him up. Papyrus kicked in his older brother's grip.

"sorry pap, can't do that."

"NO! AAA!" Papyrus wiggled, wanting to go down the hill. He could see other kids sledding or just rolling down the hill. It looked tons of fun to him, so he fussed even louder about it.

"no bro, not like that. like this, see?" The older brother carried the younger, kicking and yelling, back to the sled. He settled down with Papyrus safely held in front of him, securing them both on the sled. "look, we sit here. it's safer like this. you're still a baby bones."

"Not for long I think." Undyne snorted and got behind the sled. "You guys ready?"

"yeah!"

With that, Undyne shoved the sled down over the hill, laughing when Papyrus, for once, was shocked into silence. As soon as they were at the bottom, he was demanding another go. Thus began a long session of sledding. Sometimes they crammed themselves all on one sled. Sometimes they raced other kids. They might have been scolded a few times by the adults around, but it came with the territory. One kid lent them a bowl-shaped sled that went a little too fast for Sans' comfort, but Undyne loved it all the same. When they got tired of trekking up the hill, they stayed near the bottom.

"Hey Sans?" Alphys asked while they took a break. It didn't take long for them to find a bench to sit on, watching the other kids sled down the hill. Papyrus was busy sitting in the snow, making shapes that only really made sense to him.

"yeah?"

"Do you think you could pull a sled?"

Undyne perked up her fins from under her hat. "Yeah! That sounds awesome! Can you?"

Sans could only shrug. "i never tried...and i dunno if can pull everyone at once." He rubbed at the arm that was previously broken only months before.

"You could pull Pap." Undyne pointed out. "He's a weenie. He weighs practically nothing."

"but then you guys will be left out."

"Maybe it would be best to wait until you get bigger." Alphys suggested. "Um...you're kinda..small. I just...thought it would be neat."

"No worries, Sans!" Undyne slung an arm around the skeleton's shoulder. "You won't be shrimpy forever! Heck, you might even get huge, wouldn't that be cool?"

"um…" He coughed when she tightened her grip, pulling him into a stronger hug.

"Naw I'm serious! With the way your dad feeds ya, you'll be HUGE!"

Sans shook his head with a snort. "i don't think so. i'm shorter than you guys."

Before Undyne could retort, one of the bunny children ran up to the group.

"Hey! We're gonna get a snowball war together! You guys wanna join up?"

The look on Undyne's face was quite unnerving at that. She lived for competition in all forms. "Yesss." She clenched her fists together and gave the poor bunny a truly terrifying look.

"As long as we can be on her team." Sans shrugged. Alphys nodded along with that. Papyrus was still busy making a snow tower and thus couldn't care less about what was going on.

"Uhh...okay. We get ten minutes to prepare. My mom is gonna let us know when to start." The bunny backed away a little from the terror child.

"Then you better get hurrying cause we're gonna cream you nerds!" Undyne popped up from her seat already, already gathering snow.

To his credit, the kid took off running back to his group before Undyne could dunk him with snow. Sans and Alphys snorted.

"Well if there's going to be a whole war, we need to get our fort up before everyone else." Alphys tootled off her seat, waddling over to what looked like a good spot. "See? We got the high ground!"

"We do! Great thinking Alph!" Undyne scooped up an armful of snow and hurried over to their spot. Sans lifted up Papyrus and carried him over to the growing snowpile.

Together, they began to build.

* * *

"How does this look to you?"

Dogamy had just finished stringing up a large paper banner marked 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY'. He had to twist around his wife, who was hanging up streamers at the same time. It made them bump into each other quite a few times, but knowing them, they were doing it on purpose.

"It looks good." Grillby looked it over where it was positioned on the living room wall. Once the children had gone out to play, all the dads and dogs had gathered together to prepare for a party.

A birthday party, in fact, for the boys.

There were detailed records about them, but it was hard to tell what exactly counted as their birthday. Was it the day they were taken out of the tubes? How does one really measure a birthday for someone with a radically different way of being born? So, he compromised, and picked the clearest date he could figure. Sans and Papyrus never did anything without the other, so it made sense to celebrate them both on the same day.

The Dogs, Gash, Frank, and Bertram were all helping out. They were doing everything from hanging up decorations to moving furniture around. With the kids being a little skittish still, the party was going to be very small and as low-key as possible. Still, they could have decorations and the like, but since the kids have never experienced a party before...it was going to be for the best to not overwhelm them.

Bertram fussed. "They aren't going to try and eat the paper, are they?" The dinosaur eyed the tissue paper streamers taped just about everywhere.

"They're skeletons my dude. It's not like they can actually eat them." Gnash frowned as he struggled to keep balloons tied down so they don't float away.

"Oh they can, dear." Frank took the balloons from his husband and tied them to a chair. "But it's not going to really hurt them."

"Well, consider me corrected then."

Lesser Dog barked from his position on the couch. He had finished filling up a bone shaped piñata with candy, holding it up to show everyone.

"Nice, gonna hang it up?" Gnash eyed it. It was decently sized for four kids, with plenty of the 'good' candy. No fruit packs or pretzels, just straight-up sugar.

"(You don't hang up piñatas for pups.)" Dogaressa laughed. "(You put it on the floor so they can rip it up!)"

"That's actually pretty badass." The Captain grinned, impressed.

"Well it's also because mixing sticks with pups never go over too well." Dogamy added. "It stops becoming a piñata party and more of a fight over who gets the stick."

Grillby merely hummed, looking everything over. He glanced over at the present pile. The pile was, on second glance, more like a present mountain. When he called everyone and explained his plan for a nice, quiet birthday party, they all decided to go for broke. Everyone had a soft spot for the little skeletons, and were determined to make their very first birthday party a memorable one. That included spoiling them rotten. The pile of presents were stacked as well as they could be without getting stepped on. He went over a checklist in his mind as everyone added the finishing touches.

Enchanted balloons that wouldn't pop and thus frighten the boys? Check.

Decorations that weren't too overwhelming and could stand some nibbling? Check.

Cake? Check.

A piñata and enough candy for four kids? Check.

A mop and bucket at the ready for Papyrus? Check.

A pillow fort prepared in their room just in case things got too overwhelming? Check.

He checked off other things in his mind, checking and double-checking. A white paw on his shoulder stopped him before he could run through the checklist a fourth time.

"(Relax Grillby, you look like a hen with all that fussing you're doing!")

Grillby took a moment to collect himself, his flames tingeing a soft pink in embarrassment. "I just...want it to be special."

"(And it is. These are little kids, not the King himself! It's not like they need perfection, just love and validation. That's what this day is all about, right?") Dogaressa winked at the flustered father and withdrew her paw. ("You don't need to worry so much, just let things happen naturally. Trust me.)"

Grillby took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. The flames of his head were wild with worry for a time, but the once again became the usual, gentle, fireplace-like flame. A thousand things could go wrong and the last thing he wanted was for them to associate bad things with birthdays. Or even parties all together. The kids were skittish enough as it was with new things. A birthday for them would certainly be new.

He glanced back over at the other adults. They all were standing back and admiring their own handiwork. Of course, everything was bone-themed. Bone-themed tablecloth. Little bone-patterned plates. Even little dog treats were scattered about, which the dogs insisted upon.

"I think it's done," He finally said. "What time is it?"

Frank checked his watch. "Around three-thirtyish. Should we go out and get them?"

"Nah, I'll call Greater. He was sent over to keep an eye on them. He'll be able to herd them all back." Dogamy flipped open his phone, and exited to the kitchen to place his call.

"Are we going to hide and yell 'SURPRISE' and all that?" Doggo squinted. His sight was too bad to help with decorations, so he elected to be the one to guard the presents. He took the job very seriously, knives and all.

"No." Grillby shook his head. "They don't like to be startled like that. I will stop them at the door and explain."

"That's a good idea." Frank agreed. "Let's all sit and rest a spell. I doubt all of us standing around will be good for their nerves."

Mutters of agreement echoed through the group, all of them taking seats and being as non-threatening as they could. The boys were still very young and had yet to start therapy. Frank was the one that suggested they all be careful and mindful of their actions. So far, it had prevented what could be a perpetual state of anxiety for the kids.

Grillby fussed one last time over everything.

He still had yet to find the candles.

* * *

The snowball war ended in mutually-assured destruction.

It was an hour-long fight and the kids went all out on it. Snow trenches were dug. Forts were made. Snowballs were stockpiled up. Everyone hunkered down with their team until the signal was given.

"Alright y'all, let's have a clean fight!", one of the parents shouted. "Ready? GO!"

The air quickly became white with snowballs. Snow was flinging everywhere, even hitting some of the parents who were unfortunate enough to get caught in the cross-fire. It was madness.

Undyne made snow boulders instead of snowballs, and took great delight at being a one-girl siege engine. Many walls crumbled to her wrath. Many kids were buried under piles of snow. It was pure devastation.

Sans and Alphys were just happy to make the ultimate fort. Sans didn't know all that much about playing war, but Alphys was more than happy to help. Soon they were hunkered down, weathering incoming fire and dealing it back just as quickly. At one point they ran out of snow, and Sans had to sneak out under fire to get more.

Papyrus ran out to chase all the snowballs, borking all the way. Small kids were were under a mutual agreement of protection. Nobody threw snowballs at them and they were herded away from the more intense part of the war. Papyrus might be too small to really participate, but he was more than happy to chase the snowballs that flew past him. He was joined with some other small kids who just happily rolled around in the snow, not really caring that much about the war around them.

In the end, the fighting was too intense, and there wasn't a single fort or trench left standing. The kids lay where they were felled in the snow, too worn out to continue. Nobody won, but it wasn't like they were playing for wins anyway. It was at the time the other parents started to collect their kids. It was time to come in from the cold, and one by one, Sans watched the other kids leave.

"I got Pap!" Alphys waddled through the snow, holding a surprisingly still pup. Papyrus' eye lights were crossed as he shivered. He made a loud sharp gurgle and tilted his head straight up in the air, muzzle open wide.

"what happened?" Sans was instantly on edge, rushing over to examine his little brother

"Hey, no need to worry he just um...ate a snowball or two." Alphys giggled. "He got a brain freeze."

"...brain freeze?" Sans looked at this brother again, who was clacking his jaws together.

"Yeah, it's when you eat cold stuff too fast and it gives you a weird feeling in your head."

To show he was alright, Papyrus eventually shook his head and wagged his tail, normal again. "NYEH!"

Sans relaxed. It seemed his little bro was alright. "phew…"

Undyne stomped over, laughing. "Heh, did you see that great big snow boulder I made? It took out a whole fort!"

"yeah, but then everyone within range hit you at once." Sans smirked. Undyne frowned. Her coat and hat were covered in snow. It wouldn't be long before everything would start to melt and make everything chilly and damp.

They were just gathering their sleds and brushing themselves off when a white dog bounded over the snow and skidded to a stop in front of the children.

"Hello children!" Greater Dog barked a greeting and wagged his fluffy tail. He was without his armor for now, it seemed, and it was honestly a little difficult to tell him apart from the snow without it. He was practically two black eyes and a nose floating above the snow.

"hi greater." Sans smiled. "what are you doing here? I thought you had guard stuff to do."

"I have off today!" Greater shook his coat free of some snowflakes. "I am here to bring you all home!"

Undyne and Alphys watched the interaction, giving each other looks. It was still weird to them that Sans could just... understand the dogs like he could. Not that it was anything more different than talking to someone else with a different language, but Dog was very hard to learn by non-dogs. They tended to not think too hard about it. They had more important stuff to worry about, such as when dinner time was.

"i guess we were out here a long time." Sans rubbed his fingers together. Now that playing was over with, the cold and damp was starting to seep in, causing him to shiver. It wasn't as bad a chill as when he and his brother were homeless: now, he had the warmest coat that his father could get for him. He felt worn out a little, eager to go back indoors, and he could expect there to be hot cocoa waiting when they got back.

"Yeah! I don't even know what time it is!" Alphys struggled to get out her phone, but couldn't bend her arms down enough to open her pockets. Undyne took the pup from her, and laughed as Alphys flailed around for a few seconds.

Greater dog barked and started hopping through the snow, waiting for them all to catch up. Thus began the cold and tired trek back to the house. Papyrus was thoroughly worn out, so he was content to be carried. Sans was slower, as always, so everyone took time to match his pace. The snow had been packed down as they left, so the walk home was easier.

The hill wasn't too far away from home, and soon the group arrived back at the house. To the boys' surprise, their dad was out on the porch waiting for them.

"Hello, did you all have fun?" The fire dad smiled. Greater barked a greeting and slipped past them all and into the house.

The kids crowded close, eager to steal a little heat from a literal fire-person. "We did!" Undyne was first to talk, throwing up her arms. "We played so much! And there was a snowball fight! And Pap ate a snowball!"

"Did he now?" Grillby reached down to pat the little pup on the head. "I bet it didn't taste very nice."

Papyrus transformed with a soft click, allowing him to speak again. "NO! EW." The toddler made a dramatic face. Truth be told, the snow tasted like nothing. But the cold was something he wasn't too fond of. He held up his arms and 'nyeh'd' at his father until he was picked up and held in the fiery warmth.

"Undyne, Alphys...how about you both go inside and get warm? I have to explain something to the boys."

"Sure!" Both girls shuffled past, stashing the sleds on the porch and eagerly shedding coats and scarves inside the warm house.

Sans was puzzled. "explain what?"

"Well," Grillby sat down on the bench on the porch. He had it installed not too long ago, so he could have somewhere safe to sit while he watched the boys play outside. Sans jumped up along with him to sit, wondering. "Do you remember when I explained what a birthday was?"

Sans thought for a moment, before nodding. "yeah, it's when you get a party on the day you were born."

"That is quite right." Grillby smiled widely. "Do you know what today is?"

"uhhh….." Sans tilted his head back in thought. "um...is it Alphys' birthday?" He fiddled with his fingers.

Grillby laughed lightly. "Oh no, it's your birthday."

Sans's eye lights went wide in his sockets. "really?"

"Yes really. Today is for both you and your brother. I wanted to tell you both outside, so you did not get spooked once we go inside. There's a party for the both of you."

Sans' eyelights were practically stars for how bright they were. "for us?"

"Yes, for you both."

Sans looked like he was about to ask something, before he shook his head and smiled up at his father.

Grillby stood, moving Papyrus to one arm and holding out the other hand to Sans. "They should be all ready now. If you get overwhelmed, your bedroom has a hiding spot I set up. Leave whenever you need to, okay? Everyone will understand."

Sans took the offered hand and hopped over to his feet. "thanks dad!"

"Of course, son." With that, he lead Sans to the door and pushed it open.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" "(Awoooo!)"

Sans couldn't help but jump a little at the sudden noise, but relaxed once he saw who caused it. The Dog Guard, Alphys, Undyne, and their parents were there, all wearing paper hats and grinning. His eye sockets were wide as he took everything in. The decoration. The big pile of presents. The enormous cake on the table. It was just...so much!

Undyne took another paper hat and sat it down on Sans' head. "Here ya go birthday boy."

Sans could only beam with happiness.

"Come along, we'll have some cake and cocoa to warm up first." Grillby gently nudged the boy forward, which seemed to jump-start him. It was a struggle to throw off his coat so he could run off and look at everything. Papyrus was set on the couch and helped out of his own coat. He too regarded everything with wide eye sockets and a wide smile. Still tuckered out a little, it seemed that he was going to make his father carry him everywhere.

To Papyrus' surprise, he was carried over to the table and set in his high chair. In front of him was a huge frosted cake. Papyrus indeed knew what cake was, and wiggled in excitement. He gnawed on his fingers and drooled, eyeing the cake. Sans was set next to him on his own chair. On front of the cake were some candles, and 'Happy Birthday Sans and Papyrus!' written in icing. Grillby simply had to touch the candles to have them lit.

"Now, before we begin, there is a birthday tradition." Grillby explained. Sans was looking at him in confusion over the candles. "On someone's birthday, they make a secret wish, and then blow out the candles. It's said that the wish will come true."

Sans took a moment to ponder about it. Grillby could immediately see the confusion and thought on his face, and then, a quick flicker of sadness. The nature of wishes was something difficult for them both to grasp. How many times did they lay in their cages, wishing for freedom, only for it to not come true? He had it in mind to skip it, but Dogaressa convinced him to go on with it.

Thankfully, she stepped in. "(These wishes only happen during birthdays, and you need the candles too. Wishes may not have worked before, but they will now. We can all promise that.)"

The group nodded along to that.

"Go ahead son. Make a wish." Grillby gently encouraged him. "You too Papyrus."

Papyrus was too busy wiggling to pay attention, his eyelights firmly locked in on the cake.

"Er...Sans. You may have to make a wish for Papyrus too."

"i can do that!" Sans closed his eye sockets, looking like he was trying to solve the most challenging of math problems. He finally opened them up, and with a determined look, blew out the candles.

"Very good!"

Everyone clapped as an embarrassed-looking Sans sank a little lower in his chair. Embarrassed, but pleased at the attention. It was a strange feeling to get used to, liking attention.

"Okay, then, it is time for cake. Everyone get a plate." Grillby took up his cake knife and prepared to cut the cake.

Papyrus, however, had other plans.

"CAKE!" He yelled, and then slammed his head face first into the cake. Frosting flew up and splattered the ones closest to the carnage as he seemed determined to eat his way through the cake. Afraid that his son could possibly drown in cake, Grillby quickly pulled him away and lifted up his head.

Papyrus just beamed through a mask of crumbs and frosting. He pulled fistfulls of cake off his face and shoved them into his mouth. "IS GUD!"

Sans broke the silence by cracking up so hard, he almost fell out of his chair. "it does look good pap!"

That earned another laugh, as Grillby looked over the portion of cake that wasn't destroyed. Well, he could work with this. It wasn't the worst cake-related disaster he'd ever seen.

After all, he's a bartender. He'd seen much worse.

* * *

Interesting….

Very, very interesting…

Somewhere outside the realm of reality, a shape began to pull itself out of the ground. But it was not really a true ground: up and down did not exist here. Nor was front or back.

Regardless, the shape came from somewhere, oozing outwards like black bubbling tar.

The partygoers couldn't see it. Not where they were. But on this side, the blackness infected the space around them and sucked away all the color. Almost like static, a perfectly normal, happy birthday party became something unreal. It was like looking at a show from the TV with the gains incorrect. Pieces of lines and shapes were just a smidge out of place; not enough to be noticeable unless one had a lot of time on one's hands.

For the disgraced W.D Gaster, he had more than enough time.

After his first manifestation with some semblance of sanity, he spent time trying to understand the hell he was in. There was no heat and no cold, just a numbness that went on forever. He could touch himself with his hands, but he felt nothing. He had tried to pull his soul out to see if it was still there, but all that came of it was a black stringy mess that he couldn't see through. It was still unclear whether his soul was in that mess or not.

He tried screaming, but all that resulted was more static.

He also found his limitations.

He had found himself forever chained to his creations.

It was quite maddening. Once, he saw his subjects napping on the couch like the animals they were. Bored of the sight, Gaster tried to leave, only to find that he destabilized as soon as he crossed the house threshold. Seeing himself fall apart was quite frightening, and it took what felt like hours to pull himself together enough to have rational thought again.

When not together, thoughts slipped in and out like oil. He could try to grab them, make sense of them. But they slipped out of his grasp to warp and stretch across the void. Concepts, words, and even semblances of self flew just out of reach: close enough to have a ghosly memory, but too far away to truly remember everything.

He had only tried to leave their space thrice, and he wasn't keen to do so again.

Experiments showed that as long as he was within a few meters or two, he could manifest. He could think again. Even if he couldn't physically feel it, he felt like himself. When he cared not to look at his killer anymore, he could simply just stop existing for a little while. Once he thought it would be for the best to stop existing, and he tried to simply be nothing. But without fail, he would find himself back here, around them.

It didn't happen too often, but it was enough to be extremely annoying.

He was annoyed now, watching the creatures, creatures he made with his own two hands to kill humans, eating cake. It was sickening. He had made them to mimic monsters well enough that they could fool a human. But fooling other monsters? That wasn't something he intended.

So much waste.

They were the best work he had ever done, and now they would sit around opening presents like real children. What a waste. So much work for nothing. He had hoped that even in death, someone would see reason and continue the project. But it seemed like his brilliance died with him.

He hadn't been to the lab or the CORE since his fall. He had no idea what was happening there, but he could be sure that he wouldn't like it.

He had nothing better to do, and he was a scientist. He could continue his work, and once he could figure a way out of this place, he could resume it.

But getting out?

That would be the hardest part.

But...

He already had a few ideas.


	2. Chapter 2

_001-S paced around their cage with careful, practiced steps. It was only a few cycles of light since they were able to move. Walking was a challenge and they didn't receive help from the strange creatures in white. All they got from them was cold indifference, no matter how much they squeaked at them. They didn't seem to hate them: they just had nothing to feel at all for them at all._

 _It was confusing, but then again, everything was. They were brand-new, after all._

 _They didn't know how many cycles of dark and light has happened since they first awoke. They were in a clear place that was hard when he drifted close enough to touch it. It had all been strange. Blurry faces would press up against the clear place to look at them, but at least they were warm._

 _Until they took him out of the warm place and into the cold. The first sensation they ever felt was pain as something sharp and hot on their leg bit down. They had cried out but nobody answered. They couldn't understand what the white creatures were saying and didn't understand what they were doing._

 _The white creatures just didn't care...and they felt it in their young soul. It was perhaps the thing that frightened them the most._

 _That was many light times ago. They had grown a little bigger and there hadn't been a pain like the bite on his leg since. What a strange bite it was, all lines made by teeth they couldn't even see._

 _They stopped pacing, tired for the moment, and laid down on the cold steel._

 _They had heard the creatures in white say something about an 'ex-pera-ment'. They figured he'd find out what that was soon enough._

 _He sighed and closed his eyes._

.

.

.

Sans bolted upward with a gasp, clunking the top of his skull against something hard and wooden. Fingers gripped the carpet and blankets under him as he reeled from the sudden pain.

 _What?_

 _Where?_

He opened his eyes, expecting to see the bars of a cage. He expected to feel steel. He expected pain and sensations of cold.

But what he actually saw was half the world in darkness, and the other half showing carpet and fairy lights. The carpet was soft, and he was warm in a thick sweater and fluffy blanket.

He took a moment to think and realized he was home.

Not a cage. Not the labs. _Home_.

He calmed down at that, lying back down in his position under the bed to rub his cranium. Ow. His thump had knocked some pieces of candy and packaged granola bars stashed away in the support beams down. He remembered. This was where packaged food was stored, 'just in case'. Dad had no problem with that, as long as what was opened got eaten so the crumbs wouldn't get everywhere.

He thought back to what happened before he fell asleep to chase away the lingering visions of steel and harsh lights. He was playing downstairs with his brother and father. Papyrus ran him around as he seemed to have limitless energy. Then he got tired, and went upstairs to nap.

He couldn't figure out how long he had been asleep; he'd been sleeping quite a lot lately.

But wait, where was Papyrus?

A cold start jolted down his spine in panic. He may have been able to wake up from dreams of his past, but the anxiety of his brother being elsewhere was one he had no defense against. He gasped and shot out from under the bed, faster than he usually moved, and nearly tumbled down the stairs in his haste to find his brother.

"pap? PAP?"

He tripped and took a small tumble, landing against the legs of his adoptive father. Thankfully, they were soft legs, as they didn't have bones, just pure fire. Sans grunted, stuck upside down and wedged in between his father's legs and the carpeted stair-step.

" _Sans? Are you okay?"_

Grillby's voice was full of worry, and it was worrisome to see a distressed child nearly throw themselves down the stairs in order to get to the bottom faster.

"where's pap?" Sans ignored the question like usual. He rarely, if ever, focused on himself at any given time.

" _In the living room, just like he was an hour ago."_ Grillby reached down and grasped Sans under his arms, lifting him up and setting the skeleton back on his feet. He began to check for any cuts or bruises. " _I was just coming to wake you."_

"is he okay?" Sans continued as Grillby tucked him into his arms, turning to carry him away from the stairs.

"Of course he is. Why do you think he would not be?"

Sans didn't have an answer to that. He just felt like he had to know. He didn't know how to put his feelings into proper words, so he stayed silent as he was carried into the living room and set down on the floor.

Sans was instantly relieved to see that, indeed, Papyrus was just fine. He was having a blast with some rainbow-colored stacking cups, humming to himself as toddlers tend to do. He was also surrounded by a mess of other toys. Clearly, Papyrus was not about to run out of things to do.

"HI!" The little skeleton greeted the other with a large smile...before stuffing a cup into his jaws to chew on it.

" _See? He is fine. I'm keeping an eye on him, after all."_ Grillby did his best to reassure the elder skeleton.

Sans just nodded and watched his brother play for a moment. For a moment, he could almost see the casts and bandages on his tiny brother's limbs as he toddled about. He had remembered how weak he would feel in the cage, unable to stop anyone from taking little P-2... _Papyrus_...away to do terrible things to him. Sans rubbed the rough semi-healed etched marks on his left radius. Sometimes it was hard to stop thinking of the times before. It was hard to truly feel safe.

Warmth touched his side as his adoptive father took a seat next to him, so they could watch the youngest play together. Sans didn't say it, but he did feel better immediately from the close contact.

" _It won't be long until Papyrus can speak full sentences."_ Grillby remarked.

"he's smart." It was an easy reply to that.

" _So are you."_ Sans could hear the smile on the older monster's voice. Sans had nothing to say in reply.

Grillby continued after a moment of silence. " _You know. I'm always here if you want to talk."_

"...talk about what?" Sans honestly didn't quite understand what Grillby was saying. Sure, Sans didn't say all that much, but he did make sure to tell his father if he wanted more to eat or telling Papyrus that he was good. He also made sure to tell everyone that he loved him. To him, it was plenty of talking, and all he really needed.

" _Your feelings. Dreams. Whatever you like, I'm hear to listen."_

Sans thought for a moment. Here were things in the edges of his mind that he had questions for. But he couldn't find the right words, at least for now, on how to express them.

"ok." Sans finally said with a yawn.

They sat again in comfortable silence. There wasn't much that could be said, but there was plenty to be felt. Right now Sans felt content and safe, and that was good enough for him. He liked the quiet. He liked how softly his father spoke. It was warm and gentle, so completely different from a life of cold and violence. Sans leaned on his father's side, soothed enough that he felt like he could take another nap, right here.

That was, until he noticed something _odd_.

In the corner of the room, there seemed to be a patch of color missing. The yellow wall was faded to a light gray. But when he blinked, it was yellow again.

He shook his head. He must be tired. Seeing with one eye was more taxing than having two—all the more reason to get some shut-eye. He settled down to rest his head on the warmest and softest lap ever. Grillby smoothed his head gently with a hand of fire and Sans closed his eyes.

Once again, he was asleep, but this time, there weren't any nightmares.

* * *

How interesting...

For a moment, Gaster could swear that S-1 had saw him. The creature looked right at him, but then quickly lost interest to be useless and lazy again. He had been trying to get noticed, after all.

He would need further testing.

He, for a moment, wondered if the chip he had implanted in S-1 was still active. He wasn't aware enough to know the full extent of damage that S-1 sustained in the CORE. When he had somehow dragged himself back into reality, S-1 was already on the path of healing.

There must be _something_ he could do.

He was in a place that defied all laws of reality and nature, a place worse than hell. He had no help, no codex or anything to help him figure out this place. He was on his own, with just the scientific method and time on his hands.

There must be some connection between him and his creations that kept him tied to this world.

He had used parts of his own matter to create the beasts. Skeleton monsters were incredibly rare, yet powerful. There were none stronger than himself; the ones that weren't strong either died in the war or fell down years ago. It made sense to use his magical makeup as a template.

It was proven that monster souls, unlike humans, couldn't persist after death. But he was surely dead, and still here. Maybe he still existed in the living world, as unlikely as that was. Maybe he could only truly 'die' once they both did.

Gaster's mind spun as he considered the implications. He could find a way to end his creations, but there could be multiple outcomes.

One. His creations died, and he died along with them, no longer bound to them or this void. There would just be nothing, no more torment of being bound to his killer. It might be the most favorable outcome, to be honest.

Two. Nothing happens. They die, but he still lives. Still in the same situation as before, but this time, with nothing interesting to do. At least now he could still somehow apply the scientific method and get something useful out of this madness, something to keep his mind sharp. He would rather not stay trapped here if he could help it.

Three. His creations die, and end up with him here, in the void. An interesting predicament, but he was sure his creations would still obey him...after a bit of re-education of course. However, there would be nothing to do with them...at least, not without his tools. They'd just be as useless to him here as they were out there.

Four. They die, and somehow, he ends up back in reality. Almost like a trade, in a sense. He couldn't theorize how such a thing could work, but then again this void defied all senses of logic and nature.

He hummed to himself, watching the fire monster interact with the beasts.

He needed more data before he decided just what to do.

It wasn't like he was leaving them anytime soon anyway.

* * *

Snow crunched under boots on the undisturbed ground of the forest. Sans, Papyrus, and Undyne were outside again in the cold, marching off into the thick woods. Sans held Papyrus' hand in one glove, and a basket in another. They at least had a picnic basket with them with lunch that their father had packed for them all. It didn't seem like Undyne was going to stop to eat any time soon as she ducked under the heavy boughs of pine trees.

"where are we going again?" Sans sighed, not quite in the mood to go traveling all over the place. When Undyne showed up at their door asking them to come out to play, she mentioned she wanted to take them somewhere. She had made sure to whisper that last part out of earshot of their father, which gave everything an air of mystery. Papyrus was instantly excited about an adventure, and wherever Pap went, Sans went.

"You'll know when you see it!" Undyne was in the front, breaking a path through the snow. Sans was at least grateful she was doing that; breaking snow was hard. Undyne's convenient habit let him walk in her footprints and travel easier.

"so far all I have seen are pine cones."

"Trust me, it's a lot cooler than pine cones!"

"PINE KONES." Papyrus happily chirped. He had a pine cone in one of his hands that he decided to keep. It smelled nice and interesting, so of course he had to have it.

"yeh pap, pine cones." The elder brother made sure to sound out the word for the younger brother.

"PINE!"

"yep, you got it bro."

Undyne snorted and continued to lead on. Together they crossed a bridge over a very steep canyon. Both boys needed some convincing to get across, but they could appreciate the view once they were safely on the other side. A whole underground valley stretched out before them. A vast ocean of snow was flecked by pockets of evergreen trees. A few houses in the dark had their lights on, which shone like jewels from far away. A river flowed through it all, streaming down into Snowdin. It was beautiful.

And then, they reached a wall.

A wall with an elegantly carved door. Sans recognized the symbol etched into the door, as he had seen it here and there. Usually King Asgore had it on him somewhere when he would come to visit. That was when he had to be 'fancy' and 'official', things that Sans had no clue about. Some of the guards had it on their armor. He never asked for the official name, but he did recognize it.

"that's weird." Sans looked up at the huge door, dwarfing all three kids in sheer size and height.

"I know right? I found this yesterday when I was exploring," Undyne sounded proud of herself. "I had no idea this was here! This has got to be one of the end points of the Underground."

"but why is there a door there?" Sans hesitantly reached up to touch it. The door was cold, and was filmy with grime and ice flakes. Clearly, it hadn't been opened in a long time—there wasn't even a knob or handle to open it.

"I dunno, but I tried to open it." Undyne crowded besides the skeleton to examine the door further. "I looked all around for a secret switch or something, but found nothing."

"maybe you need a password? like in the movies?"

Papyrus waddled to the door and patted it. "OPEN. PLEESE?"

The door remained firmly shut.

"oh well, it was a good try pap." Sans patted his little brother's head. "i don't think it'll be that simple."

"I haven't tried... maybe you need magic to open it?" Undyne said thoughtfully. She then stood back and grunted as she concentrated hard, and with a little shimmer, a little blue spear was clutched In her hand. It wasn't much bigger than a stick, but when it came to making something with magic, Undyne was way ahead of both boys.

She poked the door with the magical spear a few times. When nothing happened she dispelled it with a sizzle. "Darn."

"maybe it wasn't meant to open, undyne."

Undyne growled and bared her sharp teeth. "But I wanna know what's behind it! It could be anything! Something cool, maybe!" Her voice, however, was tinged with a bit of concealed worry.

Sans just shrugged and watched Papyrus tap the door with his pinecone.

There was a moment of silence, before Undyne turned to look at Sans, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Hey...Sans..."

"yeah?" Sans wasn't too sure if he liked that look.

"Can you turn into your dog thing and blast it open?"

"...no."

Undyne sighed in frustration. "Ugggh why not? You can spit crazy powerful laser beams out of your mouth! It's bound to take down this door!"

"because i don't feel like it." It was true: Sans just didn't feel up to it. It was all he had to even walk all the way out here. Just imagining powering up a blast seemed like it would take more out of him then they would gain.

"That's so lame Sans! It wouldn't even take a lot of blasting! Just one?"

"no." Sans furrowed his brow at his friend. "and before you ask, papyrus can't either. he's too little."

Undyne groaned and gripped her hair. "Dude, seriously. You can do it. Dad said that you blew up a lot of stuff before! It would be easy."

Yes, It had been easy. It was also easy to kill another monster. Sans' eyes went blank as he thought about it. He was made to destroy. The last thing he wanted was to do so unless it was really needed. He wasn't what he was made to be, he was different. His Dad said so.

"easy for you. but not for me." Sans bent down to scoop up his brother, feeling tired all of a sudden. "come on, let's forget about the door for now."

"But don't you wanna know what's on the other side?"

Sans shook his head, tucking his brother up on his shoulder. "nah. it might be locked up for a reason, ya know? better to leave it alone."

Undyne huffed and put her hands on her hips. "From what Alphys told me, if she didn't break that weird lock in the lab, you guys wouldn't have gotten out. I don't..." She trailed off a moment, and rubbed her arm in thought.

That made Sans freeze in his steps. He wondered for a moment if Undyne was trying to manipulate him, but he couldn't feel any malice from her. She was their friend, and she seemed to have gotten it in her head now that there could be something awful behind every locked door. Something that could be hurt and tormented children. After all, from what she had heard from her dads, there was more than just himself and his brother in that terrible place.

An inkling of doubt began to swirl in his head. Yes, there was a big, mysterious door out in the end of the underground. The scientists that made him were either in jail, or dead. That didn't mean there couldn't be more scientists in another secret place. Or, just more labs hidden around. Labs that could have more things like _him_.

"...you're right." Sans conceded and turned around. He'll hold out Papyrus. "here, take him and i'll see what I can do."

He expected Undyne to whoop and holler at that, but surprisingly, she took Papyrus quietly and nodded. His little brother settled nicely in her arms and proceeded to start drooling all over them.

Sans shook himself out to get out some kinks in his bones, before they began to change and snap into new configurations. It didn't take long for Sans to be on all fours again, shaking himself out again like his canine friends. He sneezed. The only bad thing about this form was that wayward snowflakes would find their way into his nose, which was very uncomfortable.

"You ready?" Undyne backed up with Papyrus to a safe distance.

Sans huffed, and padded up to the door to smell it. His nose worked a lot better like this, and he took his time touching his snout to the stone door and smelling deeply. A tickle of strong, but old magic made him back up a little. There wasn't any smells of any other monsters around or even under the snow. He examined the door further, and scratched it a little with his claws. They left no mark on the stone. If anyone could figure out how to get this puzzle of a door open, it would probably be Papyrus. A much older Papyrus, and they didn't have time to wait years for him to stop eating jigsaw puzzle pieces.

Sans backed up by about a meter, locking his limbs up and straightening out his tail behind him. Magic in his throat began to hum and glow a bright blue as his jaws split, rising in pitch before finally -

 _ **KSSSK!**_

The hot beam directly hit the door, sizzling and blinding in brightness. He poured on the magic he could spare for a good five seconds before he had to stop, coughing out steam and leftover magic.

When the brightness and haze of magic cleared, the snow was completely melted around them.

But the door didn't even have a scorch mark on it.

Sans sat down on his haunches, surprised. Their magic beams were pretty dangerous and could cause a lot of damage, but he didn't even leave a mark on the door.

Undyne started. "...huh? It didn't work?"

Sans shifted back so he could talk, still sitting. "doesn't seem like it."

"Darn!" Undyne kicked at the bare dirt. "I was sure it would work!"

Sans wearily got to his feet and brushed off his pants. "sorry."

"Nah, don't be sorry Sans. I guess this just means we have to tell someone. My dad maybe? Or maybe yours? No offense Sans, but your dad is _old_. He might know about it."

"Maybe…" Sans felt...wobbly. A sense of fatigue started to weigh him down. Just moving his legs was taking a lot of effort. "...maybe…"

"Sans?" Undyne sounded concerned and began to walk over.

Sans continued to wobble, his eye lights dimming in his sockets. He wanted to sleep so much. He couldn't stop his eyes from closing before he lost all mobility. Unable to balance, he felt himself fall, and hit the dirt. The last thing he heard before everything went dark and silent was Undyne and Papyrus screaming.

He could just...take a quick nap. One quick nap. That's all…

He fell deeply asleep, and heard and thought no longer.

.

.

.

.

" _Sans? Can you hear me?"_ Grillby knelt next to the children's bunk bed, holding the small skeletal hand that belonged to his eldest son. Sans was tucked into bed along with his brother. No matter how many times Papyrus yelled at his brother, he still wouldn't wake up. He knew something was wrong when a tearful Undyne nearly kicked down the front door, carrying both skeletons in her arms. Sans was deeply unconscious and between Undyne and Papyrus screaming, he had no idea what had happened.

The only thing he thought to do was call Undyne's parents to the house and somehow handle the situation. The only thing that kept him from wanting to tear the underground apart was Undyne's tearful ' _He fell asleep and won't wake up'_ explanation. So, nobody had hurt him. But something was still very wrong. He had a suspicion that something wasn't right with how much Sans was sleeping and how much energy he lacked. He assumed he would perk up after several months of care, but he didn't. He of course, was stronger and much more stable, but one could sense the fatigue that had settled into the little skeleton's soul and colored all his actions.

It didn't take long for Gnash and Frank to arrive. Gnash saw to his daughter, hugging and rubbing her back as she cried into his shoulder. Frank immediately got to work on Sans, working around Papyrus who refused to leave his brother.

Grillby had no idea that Frank knew that many diagnostic spells. It seemed like Frank wasn't pulling any punches here, and was worried just like everyone else.

So here Grillby was, holding that tiny little hand in his own, hoping that the warmth of his fire could be felt. Maybe it would comfort the skeleton in his unconscious world. He didn't seem to be dreaming. He simply laid there like a broken toy.

"Let him wake up on his own, Grillby. All you can do is wait." Frank sighed and put away some of his tools.

" _Please tell me what's wrong with my son."_ Grillby felt his soul clench with those words. He was beyond worried. He was _scared._

"I can't tell you what just yet, I have to do more tests…" Frank sighed and looked at the sleeping child. "We'll have to take him to New Home Hospital. I don't have the tools here for a proper scan."

" _He is not going to like that."_ Grillby shifted a little to be more comfortable on the floor. " _Are you sure it is necessary?"_

"I know what you mean, old friend. I know it's going to be incredibly stressful for him, but it's not like we can bring an entire hospital here." Frank sounded sympathetic. "Eventually he's going to have to learn how to cope with medical environments, and he's not going to be alone for all of it."

" _I know...but still…"_ Grillby exhaled a small plume of smoke, frustrated with the situation.

Gnash poked his head in through the open doorway. "Hello, how is he, dear?"

Frank shook his head at his husband. "He's stable. He isn't falling down. He just...won't wake up. He seems to be deeply in sleep more than anything else. We'll have to do more tests to find out why."

"Damn...that sucks." Gnash frowned. "Anyway, I got what happened from Undyne. Apparently, they were trying to break down a door in the woods, somewhere at the mountain border. He blasted it, but then collapsed soon after."

"What door in the woods?" Frank rubbed behind his gills. "And why in the hell were they trying to break it down?"

"Undyne was worried there might be another...you know…" Gnash tilted his head at the skeletons in the bed. "Another situation like theirs. She convinced Sans to help her. Undyne is going to take me to the spot later."

" _How is she?"_ Grillby asked. " _She was very upset when she arrived with the boys."_

"She's feelin' a little better. Still shaken but now she knows she didn't accidentally kill her friend or anything. She's downstairs with some hot cocoa."

Grillby shook his head. What a terrible, frightening thing for a small child to experience. Not to mention, her thinking that there are more cases like Sans and Papyrus out there. " _Gnash, did you find any more labs?"_

"We did. But they were either devoted to completely different projects or neglected entirely. We combed those places top to bottom but didn't see anything relating to the kids in there."

" _Are you sure?"_

"Yes Grillz, we're sure. There isn't going to be more kids in trouble like that. Still, I think it's time to have Undyne see a counselor about this."

Grillby nodded to that. He didn't know if Alphys was seeing one too, but he knew for sure his boys needed one. He just wasn't sure how to go about it. They weren't comfortable with strangers at all, and certainly not enough to tell their darkest and most painful memories.

Frank finished packing up his bag. "I'll go ahead and get those tests ready. I'll need you to explain what's going to happen, try to get the kids comfortable, and explain that I'm just going to see what's wrong and nothing else. I don't want to scare them anymore than you do."

"You can't handle them with kid gloves forever though." Gnash tilted his head to his husband. "They're tough. It's one thing to be careful, but they aren't fragile anymore Grillby. You have to let them get scared once in a while. It's how they learn how to deal with things."

"Within reason." Frank replied.

" _I understand...if you find a good therapist...please let me know."_ Grillby bowed his head in thanks.

"I will. Please call if anything serious happens, okay? I think Sans will wake up eventually, but if he's in pain or doesn't wake up in 24 hours, call me."

" _I promise."_

"Good." Frank looked at his husband and nodded to the door. Taking the hint, Gnash walked downstairs, and can be heard talking to Undyne a moment later. With one last goodbye, Frank waddled out of the room, leaving the father and children some privacy.

Grillby had yet to get up from the floor where he was holding Sans' hand. Papyrus seemed fine with just snuggling with his brother under the cover. Despite the noise and presence of other people in the room, Papyrus had drifted off and snuggled under his older brother's chin.

He was reluctant to let go for now, but he had to make food in case either of them woke up. He tucked the little hand back under the covers and gave the best equivalent of a 'smooch' as he could to the top of each of their skulls. He had no lips really, but his flames were warm and gentle, surely something comforting. He stood, and took one last look back, his eyes scanning for anything amiss. When everything looked fine, he ducked out of the room, turning on the nightlight and shutting the door. He left it open a little, so the hallway light could filter in and hopefully chase away any nightmares.

The clack of pans and pots echoed from downstairs, but for the boys, they only had silence.

Moments past where the only movement in the room was the drifting of household dust particles highlighted in the light of the nightlight.

For a moment, the corner of the room began to drain of color, and a soft, crackling noise, like static, began to hiss in the air. A glitchy black spot appeared, fragmented and thin. It only lasted for mere moments before color snapped back into existence. Silence was once again heavy in the room, interrupted by the faint sounds of cooking from downstairs.

All that was left was a tiny, black spot on the floor.


End file.
